Miso

These are apparently from someone who visited Cornell in Sept. 2022. I am cautious about what I believe on forums but I don't see why someone would lie about these things. From past forums, people have said the cons are: isolated in Ithaca small studio spaces sculpture department is a mess because a tenured professor takes up all the space some professors make sexist and inappropriate comments about women's artwork Biggest pro: they have a lot of academic resources (books, essays, journals, etc.) A former art professor at RISD has a discord where you can ask about something like this. She will tell you about her resources that you can pay for. Her team does portfolio reviews, and I believe they may review papers too. Personally, I wouldn't pay when you can just ask the professors doing your recommendation letters to review your paper. But if you have the money, you should ask on the discord.

They say "Applicants to the Painting/Printmaking program should make reference in their statements to the “representative work” in the portfolio; this is not critical for the other programs." I understand your confusion because saying "make reference in" can be interpreted in different ways. It could mean allude to something in your statement or mention the work specifically referencing the name. I applied to Yale painting/printmaking too, and I think the safe option is to just specifically reference the name of the work and talk about it in detail. Hope this helps, best of luck!!

Congrats! I wouldn't feel bad for waiting if I were you, schools should understand that you most likely applied to several schools and won't have all your decisions until around March. Did they give you a deadline to accept their offer? What was the funding amount?

I didn't apply to UMass but I applied to 3 of the schools on your list (UConn, Rutgers, UCLA). I'll let you know if I hear anything from them. I'm surprised a school is interviewing this early, hope it went well!

I believe a CV/Resume for visual art MFA's would look different from someone with a graphic design background. Mine has stuff like exhibitions I have been in but yours probably wouldn't so it's tough for me to give the best advice on this. But from what professors have told me, just be honest and make sure your resume/CV format is easy to read. Go for a clean and professional look like the examples Harvard gives: https://cdn-careerservices.fas.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/161/2023/04/HES_resume-and-letter_2022-final.pdf Professors have told me they just look at them to see what you have been up to recently, a resume/cv shouldn't make or break you

While I don't have direct experience with transferring MFA programs, I would recommend reaching out to the admissions offices of the schools you're interested in. They can provide specific information about transfer policies and whether credits from your current program would be accepted. Keep in mind that policies may vary between institutions, so it's crucial to gather accurate details directly from the schools you're considering. Starting the conversation with admissions will give you a clearer understanding of the possibilities and requirements for transferring. I am curious what big state school are you at? And what aspects make it not the right fit for you? Sharing this info could help people who may have this program on their list.

Same to you, hope you get into your top choices! GradCafe has been glitchy on my end, it won't allow me to like post or click on the notification bell in the top right corner, but I will keep posting with updates as well

Lol you're lucky, I get a feeling that painting/drawing is the most competitive concentration at almost every MFA program, but I could be wrong. If Yale ever became fully funded, I think that would force them to only accept like 5 people.

Yikes...that is actually insane, that means they make a quarter of a million dollars off application fees alone and I bet they still won't be handing out full rides lol 😂 I wouldn't be surprised if 1000 of that 2500+ are painting applicants. We all have like a .00001% chance of getting in

I also heard they get over 1000 applicants compared to other programs that get around 100 to 200. The amount of emails they get is probably crazy, it makes sense that they don't reply. I wonder if MFA programs even like applicants who are very successful and overqualified. I would think they prefer people that show potential for growth; people they can actually help reach new heights.

I'm also thinking about applying to Yale but not for graphic design. I would recommend reaching out to them again, perhaps through multiple channels like email and phone if possible. In the meantime, you might consider crafting your portfolio to align more closely with the specific requirements for graphic design. Focus on showcasing your best and most relevant work from the past two years, ensuring it reflects your skills and growth in the field. If you decide to include a piece that slightly exceeds the two-year timeframe but is essential to your portfolio, you could make a note explaining its significance or relevance. But definitely keep following up to get a concrete answer from them. Best of luck!

Right. I know if I wasn't on here talking to myself then we would really be on page 1 in November. 2018 was a similar year, not sure if there's a connection between people having more success when Grad Cafe is dead or not, but that would be cool if it is true.

Only on page 2 on November 5th...this has to be unusual. Inflation must have artists giving up on art and going to nursing school instead for stability 💀 Btw I hope new people know this forum is completely anonymous. Making an account takes like two seconds, no need to be a lurker forever lol

Oh you for sure should apply to all of those again. It makes a lot of sense for the programs that you were close to getting into. It's just difficult to decide to try again when you don't even know if you were close. My only guess is that these programs didn't want figurative artists, which is the category I would fall under. Other than that, I honestly know my portfolio is good enough to get into any program, just comes down to luck and the committee's preference.

I was waitlisted to one program on my list and having interviewed with them, I definitely think the tweaks I have made will give me a good chance of being accepted this time around 🤞 But for the 4 programs I am reapplying to that rejected me with no feedback, it's hard to know if I am just wasting my time and money applying again. For instance, UCLA is one of these schools, not sure if changing half of my portfolio is enough to get different results. But the one time you decide not to apply could be the time you were going to get in. If programs gave just a sentence or two of feedback to rejected applicants instead of the generic ChatGPT letter, this would be a much easier decision. Or even better, just give people a letter grade for their written statements and portfolio. Written Statements: B+ Portfolio: C- Seeing something like this would tell me I shouldn't reapply the next year, meanwhile this "We want to express our sincere gratitude for your application and your interest in...." does nothing for anyone 💀

I still haven't locked in my final list but I currently have 16. My final list will have anywhere between 12 - 15 though. For everyone: Do you think it is worth applying to schools that rejected you last year? For more context, I think my work has evolved for the better but out of the 20 required portfolio pieces, 11 will be new and 9 are things they have seen. Would I be better off only applying to schools that haven't seen my work at all?

Yeahh probably not a good fit for me, plus I heard they offer little to no scholarships/funding. I was thinking of ways to get into the New York art scene without actually being in New York. What is your opinion on Rutgers MFA in Visual Arts? (Or anyone else who is reading this)

Does anyone know about the MFA at the New York Academy of Art? Never seen this school talked about in grad cafe and I was wondering if it is worth applying to.

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That's a good mindset to have, I remember my first time applying I was so clueless about how competitive this is. Hope you get in the first time because it is no fun doing this over and over. Don't be like me and think it is the end of the world if you don't get in though lol. I'm Painting & Drawing

This forum seems dead compared to other years. Is no one applying to MFA programs this year lol...Anyway here's my updated list, if anyone has any insights about these programs please hit me up. UCLA Stanford UCSD UC Berkeley CCA CSULB Northwestern University UCSB UC Irvine University of Texas—Austin SF State

I was waitlisted by Northwestern last year and this isn't really specific advice for that program, but just in general, I would advise that once you get the interview...if there is an option between going in person or Zoom, do whatever it takes to go in person. I think programs should make all finalists have the same interview process because feeling someone's energy in person doesn't compare to seeing them through a screen. NW gave me the option, and I chose Zoom, big mistake. If programs give the option, in my opinion it is an unfair advantage to people that went in person so don't be like me...instead be on the good side of the unfair advantage.

Definitely, I think I will still apply and just cross my fingers and hope I get a decent human being of a roommate lol . Plus their stipend is 22k - 24k, not to mention it's in Cali, no need to worry about snow. This is my current list, I ended up finding some programs that have had a few figurative artist. Applying to 12 schools seems crazy though, I may have to chop some off. If you think any of these are not a good fit for a figurative artist please let know. UCLA Stanford UC Berkeley Northwestern University UCSB UC Irvine University of Texas—Austin University of Wisconsin—Madison University of Illinois—Chicago Uconn Florida State University University of South Florida

I was also thinking about UCSB, but the only real option for housing is the San Clemente Villages. A 2br for $928 a month is great, but I really want to live on my own for graduate school in a studio apartment. I can't deal with dirty roommates😭. Other than that the program looks great.

Thanks for letting me know. What programs are you applying to your third time around? I have a list and I feel like a fool for still putting UCLA...feels like a waste $135 with how slim anyone's chances are.